Wednesday, June 7, 2017

A little while ago, I had the privilege of being selected to be a part of Style Story's tester team, which meant the world to me as a supporter of their site but also as a baby skincare blogger. Being a part of the team means I'm sent some products, specifically selected for me and my skins needs, testing them out and telling you all about it.At first, I was genuinely concerned I was going to be too difficult to work with - my skin cannot tolerate mineral oil, denatured alcohol, paraffin and dimethicones, so I've always had to be very strict with ingredients lists. Trust the beauties at Style Story to curate a bunch of brands who fit the bill of what I'm looking for!Style Story has always been my go-to for Australian based curation of Korean and Asian beauty products, their curation is like a who's who of cult beauty brands and products, I can't recommend them enough! Check out their site & support Australian!

Stepping up to the plate today is Elizavecca's Witch Piggy Hell Pore Control Hyaluronic Acid 97% (don't you just love Elizavecca and their long names!) and I think I'm calling it early, but this takes the cake for the CUTEST packaging this year. Seriously, the sassy little witch piggy has got an aesthetic going on that I can get behind!

Let's break this down.

What is it? A thin, slightly viscous serum, chock full of hydrating and brightening ingredients. No frills, no obvious fragrance, just functioning ingredients - just the way I like it!What's in it?Hyaluronic Acid, Niacinamide, Propylene Glycol, 1, 2-Hexanediol, PEG-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Adenosine, Allantoin, Carbomer, Arginine, Fragrance(CosDNA analysis)When do I use it?This is designed to be applied after cleansing, as a hydrating essence or serum, and it doesn't contain any photosensitising ingredients so you can apply it morning or night. If you're a little dry, I would recommend using this in conjunction with a moisturising cream or heavier serum, but if you're on the oily side this may well be enough. A word of warning, if you're acne prone or sensitive to Niacinamide, you may want to give this one a miss - it's very high in the ingredients.

What's so good about it?- Hyaluronic Acid, the star ingredient, is a powerhouse of hydration for moisturising dry skin and plumping fine lines. It holds 1000 times its weight in water, which makes it incredibe drawing moisture from the atmosphere and binding it to your skin - amazing for dryer months!- Niacinamide is a brightening agent which gives skin that healthy translucent glow, it's known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-aging benefits.- Adenosine is a wonderful soothing ingredient, it helps take the cranky out of dry and aggravated skin as well as having anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. - Allatoin is a gentle soothing ingredient which helps to reduce redness in skin and soothe inflammations.What do I think about it?When I think Hyaluronic Acid, I think either residual stickiness (ala the Cosme Hyaluronic Acid drops) or visous liquid (like my current HG toner, Hada Labo Premium 5 Gokujyun Hyaluronic Acid lotion) so I was pleasantly surprised by the lightness of this serum. After cleansing, I applied three drops (or half a dropper full) of the serum onto my hand to emulsify and spread it on my face. I noted there was no obvious fragrance, which is ideal because there's nothing worse than layering skincare which is cloying and clashing with each layer of fragrance. The serum spread easily and sunk in very quickly, to leave a satiny matte finish on my skin. In the morning, I find I have to apply another layer of hydration before I apply sunscreen, but I do have quite dry skin so YMMV with that. I loved the brightness it imparted on my skin - it was comparable to the Secret Key First Essence (which I stopped using because it was wayyy too stinky for my tastes) so I'm super stoked theres another brightening serum in my skincare closet. I did notice that the satin finish helped to diminish the appearance of pores on my nose, so it does live up to having the word pore in its name - rather than claiming to "shrink" pores (don't even get me started on that! PORES DO NOT HAVE MUSCLES AND CANT CONTRACT) it simply offers the premise that hydration and brightening agents help minimise the appearance of pores and lines. I'm a sucker for a good, honest skincare spiel!All in all, I am quite happy with this! Considering it was something I never really looked at to buy, I'm really glad I got to take it for a spin, I think I'll repurchase it, if not just for the absolutely adorable packaging!Stay tuned, there are a bunch more reviews in the works, in the meantime, give StyleStory a browse & let me know what piques your interest on there!xxZ